Best. Holiday. EVER!

It’s a snow day in my hometown of Reno, Nevada…which, given its location at the base of the majestic Sierra Nevada, you’d think wouldn’t be news of the shout-it-from-the-rooftops, alarming, STFU-schools-are-not-closed! variety.

The view from my deck…after a day of melting snow. And it’s still coming down…

But since we’re situated in the valley below Lake Tahoe, we don’t typically get all that much snow. Enough, but not too much. It’s like Goldilocks’ dream destination.

So my children are home, and with snowmen built, copious cups o’ cocoa consumed, makeup tips administered (to my daughter and her friend … my son was not included, thank you very much), steaming soup made for lunch, multiple loads of laundry done (snow gear is bulky, dammit!) AND my regular work duties on track for completion, you can imagine my relief at the prospect of sitting down to a tall, refreshing Diet Coke at about 1 this afternoon.

I told ya before: one vice, people.

Diet Coke.

So I opened the fridge…and panic ensued.

No Diet Coke? I thought. NO DIET COKE?!?!

My alarm heightened as I realized: My little car won’t take me to McDonald’s. Not willingly, anyhow. Not without chains. And I think that’s the line in the sand (or snow) that, if crossed, might just reveal an addiction: chaining up to get a fountain Diet Coke for $1.08 at the neighborhood McDonald’s.

See that balcony slightly above and to the right? I seriously considered throwing myself off at this pivotal, uncaffeinated juncture…

But instead, I posted my misery on Facebook, lamenting my fate and pondering whether it’s too early for wine.

Thank heaven for Facebook. Because a heavenly message quickly appeared from my personal angel, a Facebook friend who descended from high atop his social media throne and wrote, with much God-like vibrato, “I’m told it’s National Drink Wine Day… but that info comes from my cousin, so it’s probably not.”

“Like!” I thought to myself as I hit the happy little button. As long as the cousin’s not a drunk. Or delusional. Or delusional when drunk.

Then another angel added to the heavenly chorus: “It’s never too early for wine! Oh, and I think his cousin is right. It’s National Drink Wine Day. I’m pretty sure that’s legit. :-)”

“Like like LIKE,” I exclaimed at the sight.

Then the kicker — Angel #3, completing the holy trinity: “It is an official holiday. Start guzzling girl.”

Oh sweet, blessed permission.

Now here I am, sharing, dear friends — as my own personal Public Service Announcement from me to you. Today is National Drink Wine Day! It’s like Christmas, only with one ginormous, humongous, big-ass present: Permission to drink copious bottles glasses of wine!

But I couldn’t celebrate this criminally underexposed holiday without alerting you all.

Please please PLEASE have a margarita (or 12!) for me on Tuesday! I am preggers, so cannot celebrate the holiday *sob* . . . and I have a 2-year old, so I’d really really LIKE to celebrate the holiday!!!

You and I have one more thing in common–our love for Diet Coke! And don’t try to pawn Diet Pepsi or RC Cola on me. I know the difference. Do you know how many freebies I’ve gotten from registering my Diet Coke points on their web site? Tons. It’s late, I try not to drink any more soda after 9, but I’m thinking of making an exception. Thanks for a great post. Plus, I love the caption under you and Boyfriend Brett. You deserve a guy like him. Love your humor. You kill me! 🙂

It seems there are many of us Diet Coke fan(atic)s out here…totally agreed about the Diet Pepsi or RC. I order water every time if it’s a place serving “inferior” beverages.

What’s totally odd is that I was a Diet Pepsi loyalist prior to pregnancy #1. You know how they say tastes change entirely after pregnancy? I can prove it…was Diet-celibate during both pregnancies (longest 18 months of my life), but came out of the experience requiring Diet Coke and never again wanting to touch a Diet P. Bizarre…

OMG another addict , except my only vice and drug of choice is now Coke Zero. I switched a few years ago. I got so much grief about my 2 liter a day Diet Coke habit …(I live in the South.. and you have to keep hydrated. Hey, that is 8 glasses of water !) … I seriously thought about checking myself in at the BETTY FORD clinic !
When I got married 26 years ago, I only agreed to move to FINLAND with my fiance …if they had the stuff ! They also had reruns of Dallas… so I survived the snow and cold .
Okay , Okay some might say my (VICE) preoccupation with what some sperm stalker is up too is “not healthy”… but I’m sorry, protecting myself from some psycho’s convulsions would be considered “prudent”. The ART of WAR… information is paramount. Knowing how your enemy thinks and acts is the only way to be 8 steps ahead of 666er-babymamma.

Why does McDonalds seem to have the best Diet Coke mix? It’s like nektar poured from the vase of an angel. I have to have at least one fountian DC per day or I get the shakes. And I agree with Monica…when my friends and I try to decide a lunch destination, I’m usually the first to say “are they a Coke house?”
I love days like the one you have described. My kids were off for three days when the big blizzard hit two weeks ago, and my office closed for a day and a half. We cranked up the fireplace, Netflix on the Wii, and I turned my kids on to a ton of bad 80’s movies…to the point where they started saying “I think we could probably go to school tomorrow”.

You are SO right! There is something about the mixture at McDonalds…or they put real “coke” in it. One of the two.

And btw, as my marriage was dissolving before my eyes, my future-ex at one point decided to throw at me that he HATED always having to choose a dining destination with Diet Coke. I guess that was just one more reason to leave…I’m such a horrible wife.

oh god i hate running out of diet coke. last week i had a work melt down and the shop round the corner had also run out. NO BUBBLES??? i barely made it through the day. i now stash a family multi pack in my drawer, along with the emergency soup croutons, just in case there is an unexpected apocalypse!!

I can’t even fathom the apocalypse for fear of no Diet Coke. I was almost beside myself while planning a 7-day cruise once fearing the worst. But it turned out to be the best: 24-hour buffets with a Diet Coke fountain dispenser. HEAVEN, thy name is Disney Cruise line…

I live in Michigan—it was blizzard season and one morning (7:30 a.m.) I woke to find no coffee–I can’t even tell you the anxiety that I instantly felt! I knew I would be home most of the day by myself and the very idea of dealing with “me” without coffee was unbearable! What miserable company I would be! (there was no wine either–I checked…:-) I barely noticed the four feet of snow that covered my driveway and my car. I was determined to get to the store (six blocks away) So…I got my 10lbs of winter gear on…warmed up the car, shoveled the damn drive way, and removed the snow from the car, almost got stuck in the driveway, but coffee was my mantra….and the God’s seemed to be very understanding….drove about 15-20 mph, suddenly had x-ray snow vision, this whole trip took me about and hour—for six blocks and a cup of joe! I was a new woman…I felt empowered! 😉

Now, how come I can get that determined to get these last few pounds off? Ho hum….I usually have wine on Friday’s and Saturday’s, I will have wine on Sunday as well to honor “National Wine Day”, what a wine filled weekend it shall be! Lovely post! Have a great weekend!

Jodylynn, I am in total awe of your commitment to the cause. You have my undying respect! I was a weakling compared to you … had the car, had the chains, had the feet of snow piling up. Looked at my children’s adorable faces, and pondered the guilt I’d feel if we got snowbound — on a Diet Coke run for mom.

And it is a lovely weekend, indeed! Do you think the creators of National Wine Day mind that we’ve turned it into a weekend affair? Just seemed the right thing to do…

Just teasing, of course. I figure you all know I can creatively turn a phrase, perhaps I’m creative with the boyfriend as well. And plus, with all my apparent issues, it’s probably alarming to some of you that a man will actually put up with me.

Pinched Mrs D’s profile to comment (too much bother to log out and come back in..) We celebrate drink wine day a lot in this house, along with Beer O’Clock. Recently Mrs D was having her medical and had to do seventy two hours without alcohol before the blood test. Wouldn’t have been too bad, except the blood test was a Monday, so it was a dry weekend. I stayed off the beer in sympathy, but it really makes for a muted Saturday night.http://www.dtrasler.com

Bet you can’t wait for national rum day?! Even with diet Coke you’d be okay. But can you tell me if there’s a national cola drink day? My wife would kill for that. She’s at least as addicted as you. She’d have walked to the McDonald’s on her hands and knees to get her fix!

Mind you, she doesn’t drink anything else including coffee. She should probably drink water though. 😉

Ok so I am a complete radical when it comes to drinking soda. I live in Atlanta, yet I prefer Pepsi Max. Yes, I said it. In fact the last time I was at the Coca Cola main hq I intentionally left an empty Pepsi Max can on top of a trash can. I know, they will probably call it domestic terrorism or something. I’ll probably be hunted down and who knows what will happen! If my blog happens to disappear or take a radically left view point you might want to question who is actually behind it. Anyways, my blogging friend, you have submitted another fine post. Cheers!

DYK: Coke (or Diet) and wine is a real drink? It’s a Calimocho (various spellings are accepted, none of them correct, I’m sure) and I actually know a Renoite who drinks it! And there’s a Real Housewife of New Jersey who drinks it too, so you KNOW it’s real. For housewives.

You marvel at my height, and I marvel at your will power. Give up Diet Coke??? Are you insane? Actually, I’m sure you’re healthier for it, so when I’m diagnosed with some deadly NutraSweet inspired disease, you can point from the blogging sidelines and laugh. Actually, please don’t. I’ll by all dying and fragile, after all. 😉

Hope to see you around here again — can’t wait to check out your writings, my fellow ex-paid journalist!

I really felt your pain for a while there. I recently gave up both Diet Coke and Alcohol. Doctors orders 😦
It has been 19 days so far and I haven’t felt better in years, THINNER too.. go figure!?!
I’m new here and I really enjoyed the read.
Thanks,
Davia

Didn’t you know that you get to drink wine when you cook? Cocoa counts as cooking… I am a recovering Diet Coke addict myself–I just treat myself after exercising now, which probably ensures I’ll never be re-addicted (sigh).